


Martyrdom

by LycheeCannon



Series: Martyrdom Universe (Alucard x Lucia) [1]
Category: Castlevania, Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Adrian seriously needs a win, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff (F) and Angst (A) Chapters, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Healing, Medieval Europe, Personal Growth, Post Season 3, Season 3 Sucked
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:21:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23056888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LycheeCannon/pseuds/LycheeCannon
Summary: An intrepid young woman searching for something stolen from her finds herself on the doorstep of Dracula's castle.4/4: Longest chapter yet posted! Enjoy! :)
Relationships: Alucard (Castlevania)/Reader, Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Original Female Character(s), Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Reader
Series: Martyrdom Universe (Alucard x Lucia) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683217
Comments: 159
Kudos: 285





	1. Things Lost, Things Found (A)

**Author's Note:**

> Potential Season 3 Spoilers, but honestly I found Season 3 to be a pretty awful season so proceed if you will. :) I just want our boi Alucard to get some good stuff heading his way as opposed to the constant sad barrage he has to deal with! There are meant to be strong parallels between the "reader" here and Lisa, some are subtle, some are not, see if you can spot them here. :)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! Please leave a comment in the description telling me what you think and what you want to see happen from here!

The Sun was coming down the sky low, rays peering through the forest foliage behind her like spots on the back of a dappled fawn.

“Oh…oh my.” Her blurry vision caught the sight of two figures in the distance—billowing white stained red behind them. From her position at the edge of the tree line, she could see that they were suspended, though unnaturally. Their heads tilted back towards the heavens and their arms flopped to their sides. Her eye stared at the familiar people for a moment longer before her stomach turned and she looked away.

Lucia hauled her pack higher on her shoulder and ran towards the stone structure growing larger and larger in the distance. As she approached, she uneasily glanced at the spikes, driving into the ground and rising like saplings through their bodies until exiting their wide-open mouths. Maggots and opportunistic animals had picked at the corpses until sinew was exposed, viscera painting the grounds beneath them. 

Their eyes had been eaten, plucked from their sockets like grapes from a vine. _How fitting._

She only had maybe two hours of daylight left and haste was of essence. The last of her supplies were dwindling—finding this place had taken much longer than she’d expected, growing up in the sheltered confines of a minor noble family had absolved her of ever needing to do hard labor. The calluses on her palms that had first torn her hands raw in the first week of her trek had hardened-- _the hands of a dirty sailor_ her mother would have said. Her feet hurt. She had never known the pain of travel and walking such great length. But, after her horse was taken in the night during a night creature raid that she was lucky enough to escape, she had no choice. 

Lucia had sacrificed her long hair, choosing to cut it shoulder length in the first days of her journey to save the trouble of detangling tree limbs. She had been forced to discard the majority of her taken belongings after losing the horse and having to carry it herself. To put it simply, she was at the end of her wits and sanity. 

To her horror, a quick look at the desiccated bodies of Taka and Sumi told her that they no longer had what she was looking for. The castle behind them was foreboding, and from what she had been told, housed a monster. But there was no choice. She had come this far looking for what had been stolen and there was no plan past this endgame. Lucia could not return to that ruined house with the bodies in the basement. The other chairs in her family dining room thrown in a corner with the exception of two—one each of the two monsters that had destroyed _everything_.

Lucia walked up to the big door, pausing a moment before rapping her bruised and cut hands on it, hoping that the monster within was in a good mood. A moment passed and nothing happened. So, she knocked again and again. Up until the Sun had long set and the moonlight started to filter down from the heavens, she now sat on the stairs, hoping against hope that someone was there. Because, any moment now, night creatures would emerge from the forest and she had nothing left to protect herself with. 

This was the endgame. There was no other option anymore. 

Finally, there a creaking sound and she bolted to her feet, swaying a moment at the suddenness of the action. The gap was just big enough for her to slip through so she pushed her pack through first, struggling a moment before it fell through with a clank. Then, she turned sideways and squeezed through. 

The door shut with an ominous crash behind her. Lucia walked carefully into the great hall, cringing at the sound of her boots scuffing the nice marble floor. She got to the grand stair case and meant to ascend but a sudden present behind her frightened her. 

There was a man, taller than any she’d ever seen, leaning against a pillar. His loose shirt looked a little rumpled and his golden mane was wild. What first came to mind was the floating sword, hovering a hairsbreadth away from the tip of her nose.

“What do you want?” His gravely voice asked and she took a moment to collect herself.

“My name is Lucia Paschasius. If you killed the two people outside, I would ask to look through their belongings for something that was stolen from me.” She swallowed nervously, trying to stand as tall as possible, trying to make it such that her voice did not shake when addressing this terrifying figure.

The blade inched lazily towards her throat, she could feel the cold steel touching, but not cutting through her flesh. 

“How…” Suddenly, the man was in front of her in a gust of wind. “How do you know them? Are you their accomplice, here to finish the job? Here to exact revenge for what I did to them?” He snarled, the blade nipped through her, bringing a few drops of blood down the column of her neck.

“Never.” She growled. “The two were taken into my household, starving and sick. We nursed them back to health and they betrayed us. Poisoned and murdered my family. Defiled and tortured me. Stole from us. I would sooner die than break bread with either of them. They got what they deserved.”

“How foolish. Taking in strangers and expecting them to be decent.” The sword moved away and Lucia exhaled a sigh of relief. 

“I used to believe that whatever you give away at death for the Lord's sake you give because you cannot take it with you. Give now to those who are in need, while you are healthy, whatever you intended to give away at your death. They proved that some people do not deserve that faith.” The blond man regarded her a moment, taking in her steely look—the single blue eye watery and fierce. The other was covered by a ratty looking black cloth. Her hair was in disarray and her clothing was travel worn. Her skin was burnt from the Sun and her pallor was lifeless. She looked like a wild woman. He then looked away dismissively.

“I will show you where I have buried their belongings. You may retrieve them and leave this place.” He placed a soft hand at her shoulder, hissing when his palm smoked and came back a charred red. He pushed her to the ground and hissed in her face. “Is this some sort of sick joke? Meant to get me to pity you while you attempt to kill me?” He lashed out once more, the sword returned to its place at her throat.

Lucia was confused a moment but then perked up. “Oh! My apologies… I, I have no way of defending myself so I have been dousing myself in this holy water during my entire journey.” She riffled through her pack and showed him a canteen, almost empty with maybe a mouthful at the bottom. “I’m sorry, I really… really had no other option. Can I do anything for your hand?” She reached out to take his injured hand in her own, turning it over to take a look at the palm, digging around in her bag before he could even speak to try to find some poultice. Her touch stung a little, but less so. The blessing from the water must’ve worn off during her traveling.

He sighed, standing and putting a handkerchief to his hand before offering to help her up. She looked owlishly at him before taking his help and pulling to her feet. For a moment, her eyes blue eyes reminded him of another set of blue eyes that once wandered these hallowed halls—coming in similarly on a dark and stormy night to meet the master of the house. His heart tugged. Then the young woman’s raven hair brought him back to reality.

“There is no need to tend to me. Let me take your coat.”


	2. Eye to Eye (A)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small exposition chapter as Alucard and Lucia learn a little more about each other. Alucard learns what the relic she is searching for entails and finds out more about where this scamp came from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a huge fan of this chapter-- I feel like it's too much dialogue but I'll post it for now and do some edits if I change my mind tomorrow! :) Enjoy! Comments are fuel and I love to hear your thoughts!!!

Lucia hesitated. She started at the blond man’s proffered hand. He was well dressed even in his rumpled state and each gold button on his fine jacket seemed like a mockery to her disheveled state.

She pulled the worn lapels a little closer. The castle was toasty, her first feeling of real warmth in a month. His mouth pinched for a moment and her stomach did a flip. She was in the home of a purported monster, not yet murdered at the hands of his flying sword. Her state of dress was the least of her worries now and angering the host would only make things worse for her. Reluctantly, she tried to shrug the coat off and winced as it started to peel off of the open scabs on her back. She heard a slight intake of breath. He was behind her in a moment, looking at the open wounds. 

“I’m sorry!” She squeaked, trying to move away from him. 

He made a ‘tsk’ sound under his breath and sighed deeply. “Come with me.” He used his covered hand to help her pull the coat back on. “I don’t want you bleeding out on the floor.”

Alucard did not wait for her to respond before walking off in the direction of a washroom. He could hear her scampering steps so he assumed that she was following. He breathed slowly through his mouth, not wanting to smell wafting scent of blood-- _virgin blood, his senses told him_ on his palate. 

“And how did this” he gestured towards his back, “happen?” Lucia grew quiet and he could hear the beginnings of sniffling to his dismay. He was not in the mood for a blubbering girl. But, to his surprise, the little human girl stopped walking for a moment, took a deep breath and steeled herself. He didn’t turn, continuing to walk in the direction of the washroom.

“Taka and Sumi did this to me. They lashed me to an inch of my life for practice because they heard a traveling demon slayer used a whip as his main weapon.” Alucard took a sharp intake of breath. 

“And what of your eye covering” Alucard had to admit, her eye was very distinct, a light blue ringed on both sides by rivers of gold.

“At one point, I would not tell them the location of our family relic—the one I am here to collect—and they hit me, slammed my head into a shelf corner. When I awoke, I had lost vision on this side and my vision is blurred on the other. Sumi decided she didn’t like the way I looked at her and her brother so she…” Lucia took a shuddering breath. “So, she removed it.” The young lady shivered a bit, remembering the terror of the older girl flying into a rage—accusing her of lusting after Taka despite her vehement denials. She felt the claw-like grip of nails on her face as she was held down and watched as the silver short sword was brought closer and closer to her face.

Lucia looked intently at the man’s back, he had yet to turn to face her since they started walking but by the small tremor in his shoulders, she could tell that what she had said upset him. “I’m sorry to bring up such macabre things.” He nodded slightly, focusing his attentions forward.

“And what exactly did they steal that you’re so keen to get back?”

“A rosary containing the blood of Yeshua.” Alucard was taken aback, his feet stopped a moment.

“And what exactly does this relic do?”

Lucia thought back to the small artifact—placed in the burial urn of Saint Elisabetha for almost two hundred years. She had come from a devout family. The one of the only to have a female saint in Wallachia—Saint Elisabetha had received a revelation from Yeshua himself. 

“It supposedly has the power to cleanse, purify, heal, guide, and protect us from all evil, harm, sickness, and bless and make a person holy. Supposedly, Yeshua appeared to Saint Elisabetha as she lay on her sickbed and offered it to her. She spent the rest of her life in service to others, adopting many children and raising them to be good people.” The vial had always been meant to be used by her family during the Day of Reckoning to deliver them eternal life. It was meant to be a blessing but once Taka and Sumi coveted it for all the wrong reasons- in hopes of helping themselves selfishly.

The tall blond man grunted in acknowledgement before falling into thought, leaving the pair in quiet once more.

Lucia fell back into the familiar daze she felt herself in—one-part self-preservation, one-part pain management, one part to ward off the creeping feelings of depression. 

The poignant silence, only the sound of echoing steps continued until he found the door he was looking for and opened it—a bright light filtering out of the room. 

Lucia marveled. The washroom was immaculate and swathed in gold—a white flame at the apex of the cavernous room lit the fixtures in a light—even though she had spent the last weeks outdoors, it had rained through most of it. She closed her eyes, feeling the artificial warmth alight her face, bringing feeling back into her numb hands and toes.

He heard her start to say something multiple times, but clamping her mouth shut each time. It was grating on his patience, he wanted her out of his castle. But his sensible human side told him that sending her out in her condition would be no different that tearing her head off her shoulders himself. He instructed her to wash her hands in a basin and watched as she marveled over the running water coming from the sink. She scrubbed her hands with soap and watched the water run brown from dirt. To his amusement, she even washed underneath her nails and splashed some water on her face, careful to avoid the black eye covering. He could see her a lot better without the grime covering her—compared to most people, she would be considered quite comely if not for the injuries.

“Where did you say you were from again?” Alucard asked, walking over to the linen closet to find some wrappings and gauze. “No, no—” he said as she went to sit down on one of the nearby chairs. “Remove your dirty clothes first. I’ll find you something to wear.” She blushed a tomato red and nodded—clearly embarrassed at his amusement. He opened another drawer to grab a bathrobe and tossed it at her, cracking a small smile when she—unprepared—tried to catch it to no avail. 

“Bârla. It’s on the banks of the Vedea River, about a week’s ride outside of Târgoviște. My father is—” her voice caught but she cleared it quickly, hoping he didn’t notice. “My father was the governor; we’ve been there a long time.” He was quiet a moment, riffling through the cabinet. 

He could feel her stare on his back. She hadn’t initiated much conversation the entire time he was here, forthcoming with her answers to his questions but nothing really directed at him. It annoyed him. 

“What is it.”

She whimpered slightly in surprise and cleared her throat. “What is your name?” She looked down at her feet, scared to make eye contact with the intimidating man. “I would know your name for helping me. I want to repay you for the kindness you’ve shown me. Is Alucard your name? Or is that a title?” 

Alucard stopped short a moment. That was not what he was expecting, most people knew him by Alucard already. But slowly shook his head. “I am only helping you so you leave this place more quickly. I’m a vampire, not a saint.” 

“Even so, you could have left me outside to die, but you have not. God is merciful and he allowed me to meet you. Thank you.” She smiled softly, bowing her head slightly. “What is your name, kind stranger? So that I might include you in my prayers.” 

A feeling of warmth bloomed in the cold pits of his stomach. “My name is Adrian.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fun lore! As always, comment how you liked this chapter and where you want to see it go from here! <3 Please excuse any typos! Also, any guesses on why Taka and Sumi thought practicing with a whip was a good idea :'( I'd like to think that thought hurt Alucard pretty badly 
> 
> \- Yeshua is what they call Jesus in the Castlevania lore (and in general in many parts of the world.) The blood of Jesus is usually talked about in the context of blood that he supposedly shed when he was crucified-- that's why real life relics like the Shroud of Turin are considered extremely important. 
> 
> -Bârla is a real place but it's just a really small town and has no relation to the place talked about in this story. 
> 
> -I'm thinking that Lucia and her family are actually just very nice people, will go into this more in the future. Lucia genuinely knows nothing about the world of vampires and demons. She was just a devout girl before all of this happened so all of this is just a rude awakening for what the world is really like. I know that Braila and real-life Barla are actually somewhat close to each other-- probably a week or two away but in reality she probably had to look so I'm going to say it took her about a month to find Alucard.


	3. Human Faith, Human Fear (A)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alucard and Lucia get to know each other more-- learning that maybe they're not so different after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one I'm much happier with than chapter two! Yes! Thanks so much for the great reception, all! I'm really grateful for all the kind words :)
> 
> I hope everyone is safe and dealing with the Coronavirus situation well <3

Overnight, it rained but the next morning brought sunlight, a large oak at the tree line collapsed under the weight of the sky, the rest of the trees sent their spiraling branch up towards the heavens with open arms. The morning sun filtered over the terrain with fingers of gold over the ridges of the fresh sheet of mud that formed overnight. Overhead, migratory birds beat their wings to a common tattoo, casting shadows thought the glancing blows of light through the foliage.

Alucard emerged from the castle at the whisper of dawn, walking out to the stream to acquire his morning catch. His riding boots easily navigated the mud and for a moment he wondered how the scamp he’d taken in last night had managed to walk so far with her fancy leather shoes—far less functional than the ones needed to properly traverse rough terrain. She was still asleep likely, and it wasn’t like she’d be able to exit the small room he’d allotted for her until he let her out—he’d locked her door _from the outside_ but the earnest way she smiled at him and thanked him a thousand fold made it hard for him to even consider the possibility that she had malintent. Though, he’d been _so, so, so_ wrong before. These musing had kept him awake long into the night. When he went to check on her an hour or so after he had bid her farewell, he had stopped by her room to figuratively press an ear to her door. He expected to her to be snoring blissfully away but instead hear the faint murmuring of her prayers.

“Thank you, God, for delivering me to the care of a kind stranger. I understand that he may be one such unnatural creature who may not be welcome into your kingdom but help me repay his kindness where…” and she went on and on. _Asking for his salvation._ When she finally finished up nearly half an hour later, blessing seemingly everything under the sun, she finally added a tidbit for herself, just something about asking for her health and nothing else. 

He heard her stand up and immediately left her doorway. Alucard felt like he was invading something deeply personal. You’d think cleaning out the remnants of someone’s gouged eye and cutting scabbed, infected flesh from lashes would be intimate but listening in on her prayers felt infinity more so.

When he left to acquire some fish in the morning, he had every intention of asking her to procure her own breakfast, he thought back to her prayers from the night before and the voice of his mother in his head told him to get some food for her as well. So, the first big Pastrav trout that was fished up was soon joined by another. When he walked by one of the nicer clusters of beets in the yard, he went ahead and harvested it. 

[](https://66.media.tumblr.com/c0dc577b0565e9b09251628e4f728d76/450243211c9b70eb-7e/s640x960/4f3049cee05199c552a86bb39830b291ec1e9926.gif)  


By the time he remembered that his guest was still locked up, he went to open the door for her, expecting to find the young lady in a panic but instead she was sitting on her bed, comfortably flipping through a small Bible. She was already dressed and, in the daylight, the thorough cleaning she’d gotten the night before made her look like a different person entirely. 

He could tell that she had grown up wealthy—her teeth were white and she wasn’t missing any. He had asked that she discard all the filthy clothes she came in but he could see that she fit nicely into a nice dressing gown he’d found. They debrided her back the night before so it was still tightly wrapped. Her hair was still mussy but it was clean and to his relief, it wasn’t dark because of the dirt, it was dark brown, almost black. They'd replaced the eye cover with some nice bandages. The socket was stuffed with gauze and medicine, hopefully it would heal better. She smiled widely when she saw him and brought her hand to her chest to bow slightly—greeting him warmly. As if she wasn’t surprised at all to find herself locked inside. If she knew fear in her heart, he certainly couldn’t tell. _What an empty headed idiot,_ Alucard thought to himself.

He brought her downstairs and placed the finished plate in front of her and had to sit through her insistence that she say grace. She also thanked him profusely for the food. In general, he felt very uncomfortable. But, as they dug in, conversation flowed easily, it seemed that now that she was slightly more comfortable with him, she was less skittish and more inquisitive. Lucia answered the questions he had and was more than willing to chat up a storm—conversation that a scant two months ago, he would have welcomed warmly. 

He watched a flurry of different emotions crossed her face with every word she uttered—she would never last in battle. Lucia wore her heart on her sleeve for all to see. 

When they finished eating, he asked her about her home. She told him about what happened in Bârla. About finding two starving stowaway siblings on a caravan due North. Foreigners were a rare sight in such a small town and despite the unwelcome reception, her father had taken them in. The family taught them to speak the language past the rudimentary child-like speech they were getting by with before. They had shown them the lay of the land and more—shared secrets and bread with the strangers turned extended family members. The two converted to Christianity—or at least told the family that they did. But, when it was discovered the two siblings were laying together in a way meant only for husband and wife, her father had asked the pair to leave.

They refused. By the next morning—Lucia skipped over many of the details after pausing to bite her lower lip and Alucard decided not to push her—everyone in the large ten person family home was dead except for her.

“When I awoke, there was no one. No one from my township even knew that I was still alive under all of that debris.” Lucia looked down at her hands, absent mindedly running her index finger down in the nails of her other hand. “It was not until I emerged that they leant their hands.”

“Did they not know, or did they not even bother to look?” Alucard asked her, looking at her pointedly. 

“I want to believe that they did not know. God asks us to be kind to our neighbors and do unto others as we would ourselves. If I had known, I would have looked.”

Alucard scoffed, “Then you are a fool.” He expected some annoying religious based retort but instead Lucia was quiet a moment before responding.

“Maybe.” She looked down at her hands, turning the ring on her middle finger round and round. Lucia thought of the stirring feeling of malaise—the crushing pressure of her broken ribs. The solemn realization that the ground was dark with her dried blood. The painful wondering of why her field of vision was so much smaller. The feeling of looking around the house—or what was left—in the aftermath and seeing so many family relics missing, so many valuables taken. The villages had insisted that the murderous foreigners had stolen them and left town in a wagon but through the doorway of the town apothecary’s door, she could see a silver candlestick from her dining table on a shelf. She pretended not to notice—he must have his reasons. Perhaps it was an eerily similar piece. Maybe her eyesight was that bad.

“What? No preachy excerpt to go with it?” Alucard backtracked a little at her hurt expression. He gently nudged her with an elbow. 

She looked up and smiled sadly at him. “All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8.”

“And you believe that nonsense? Look at where you are right now.” 

Lucia thought for a moment, considering the man in front of her. “No, not really. I don’t understand what lesson God is hoping I learn from this trial. I have prayed on it nightly with no answers.” Unbidden, the memory of marshy mud beneath her knees on her first night out in the forest came to her mind. Her horse laid next to her—the only source of warmth as she had yet to find dry wood for a fire. Her gouged eye was still bleeding, her unsure of what to do about it as the town doctor had insisted payment up front and she had no idea where to procure the elusive coin from within the looted property.

“That doesn’t sound very _righteous_.” He brought his hands up in a sweeping gesture.

“Mark 11:25 says: and when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. But I don’t feel that way. I feel angry. Human life is sacred but when I look at those two bodies up front, I don’t feel sad at all.”

“Good because they’re staying up.” Alucard snarled back at her. “Fuck those two.”

Lucia pondered for a moment, wondering if they had enough rapport for her to ask the question that had been on her mind since she saw the two bodies initially. “Adrian, tell me, why did you kill them?” 

A cool breeze flowed in through the kitchen window as he took a moment to answer. He looked vastly uncomfortable. “You do not have to say anything, if you wish not to.” Lucia supplied, smiling at him and bringing a hand over his on the table. “Everyone has their motivations and only God can judge them.”

He shook her hand off as if it were still doused in holy water. He brought his hand back to his lap and gave the raven-haired girl a pointed look. “They proved to me that humanity is rotten to the core.”

Lucia smiled again at him, albeit sadly this time. “I’m sorry you feel that way. Does that mean you hate us?”

“No, I’m just happier with you all far, far away. I fought once to save you all. Be grateful and leave me in peace. I killed my own father to keep humanity alive. Now I wonder if it was worth it.”

Alucard stood and left the table, leaving no more room for discussion. But, as he walked away, the serene face of his guest made him feel just a little remorseful—to keep a soul as hopeful as her’s alive made it worth it. Now, if only people like Lucia did not ultimately die in the end because the world was a much crueler place than she was willing to recognize. As he was one toe over the threshold of the room, he heard a whisper from her that he barely caught. 

“Sometimes I wish you would’ve just let us die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, please leave me a comment with thoughts/opinions/what you wanna see!
> 
> As always, here's some fun lore:
> 
> -Yes, both of the phrases quoted are real biblical phrases :)  
> -I'm going to assume that Lucia is Eastern Orthodox Christian since she's from Romania. They're a slightly different branch than the Catholic denomination you see in most media.  
> -Pastrav is a type of trout found in Eastern Europe  
> -Fish often represent spirituality in the Bible and in this case, she and Alucard are eating fish, meaning that they're thinking more critically about spirituality and in Lucia's case, questioning it.  
> -Saint Lucia historically survived many attempts to kill her, and despite the suffering she still stood strong. The intent of having Lucia in this story have so much scarring and debilitation is to call that out. Granted, the methodologies are different but the effect is the same. Suffering brings about enlightenment but in Lucia's case, suffering is opening her eyes to the world rather than in a religious way.  
> -Lucia is currently having a major crisis of faith. Christians tend to believe that God puts forth challenges but in this case and in general with what's going on in the world, she is struggling to understand what the purpose of all the suffering is. And, she's slowly realizing that people are inherently bad and that being kind to others does not mean they'll respond in turn. It started with Taka and Sumi but it's extended to others she's encountered as well. Now, she's met this 'monster' who supposedly isn't welcome into the kingdom of Heaven but he's treated her a lot better than most of the other people she's met so she doesn't understand why he can't ascend to Heaven as well. :) More on this in the future!


	4. Weary Traveler, Weary Scholar (F)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone and their friends and family are keeping safe in this sort of scary time! <3 
> 
> Here's the newest installment! A bit of a bridging chapter between the early phases and where this story is going. Thank you so so much to everyone who comments and chatted with me in the comments, I had such a phenomenal time talking and getting to know your guys' thoughts! I am not a religious person but I'm glad that I'm representing Lucia in a believable way and I can't wait to show y'all where I take her from here!!! 
> 
> Here's my take on what I think Lucia looks like, I drew these myself so they're not super high quality but they give an idea of what I'm going for with her! (both with and without the eye):
> 
> [](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ETbU2_EUYAAeZr7?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)  
> [](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ETbU2_DUwAA5_Rm?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
> 
> Work has been busy so I haven't had time to write in the last couple of days but more coming soon! I really appreciate everyone who has left kudos/commented! Y'all keep me going!

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12:9

\----------------------

A week and a half passed in harmony. Summer was a vivid time in Wallachia, dog roses and edelweiss flowers bloomed across the landscape. Fawns started to roam the forests with their mothers and the twittering of small birds up in impossibly tall trees chirped up a storm. After each night a littering of dismembered wildlife dotted the landscape. Night creatures were vicious but rarely came close to the castle in fear of the monster that lived there. 

Looking at the discarded game, Alucard briefly considered moving away from his fish diet to something heartier. Lucia was looking considerably less bedraggled and more and more comfortable being around him. Maybe some red meat would do her well. But every time he thought about this open question, one particular other question nagged him incessantly.

Alucard could not understand why Lucia was still living in his castle. And what bothered him more was he knew exactly what would allow her to leave, just take her down to the rockpile that he’d buried Taka and Sumi’s things in. In fact, he could see it from the spot they usually went to go fishing. But every time he found himself rolling the words around his tongue:

_” This ancient and important relic from your family is over there under this rock pile, 20 meters away from where we’re standing. Got fetch it so you can get the fuck out of my castle.”_

He would catch himself, and make a mental note to tell her tomorrow instead. This was for her own good, the moment she left this castle she’d probably die in a ditch somewhere and he could deal without that on his conscience. Alucard thought Lucia was a naïve idiot. He understood that most living things were weaker than him, more prone to breaking, less prone to survive, less prone to think for themselves. 

But she took all of these to the extreme. 

She was small, barely coming up to his chest. Whether it was intentional or not, she tended to fold in a little bit on herself, trying to make herself as small as possible. However, though she tried to make it look casual, she would flinch ever so slightly when he moved too quickly. He wondered bitterly if she was that way before Taka and Sumi came into her life.

She was very _touchy_ always putting a hand in his or on his shoulder to get his attention or be—God forbid—comforting. Her hands were dainty and after the first week, the blisters closed up on her palms. She had small hands with long fingers that had likely never seen a day of real work. 

If he had the heart of a lion, she had the heart of a quiet hillside flower—when he started to bring her to the stream with him, he noticed that she would look down, careful not to step on the small forest floor wildlife wherever she could. Before she saw him kill a fish for the first time, she asked to say a quick prayer thanking the animal. She was too gentle, too easily crushed underfoot by life.

Lucia always angled her head right when speaking to him. Her right eye had been brutally torn out so she had to rely on the left. However, even then, the remaining eye was slightly dull, cloudy almost. He wondered how well she could see out of it. She wondered if he found it disgusting—when she had first come to him, he told her it was badly infected. She didn’t mind the blurriness, at least it had not taken a turn for the worse while she was still on the King’s road. 

Alucard found this baffling how nonchalantly she teetered on the idea. If she would eventually lose her sight, she never gave any real indication past squinting slightly when looking at things. He wondered if the concussion she’d received would eventually make her blind. He asked her if she cared when he came to unlock her door one morning and she shrugged. 

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Alucard shut the door in her face and ate breakfast alone that morning, leaving a plate outside her door when the voice of his mother called out to him—telling him he was being petty.

Then, there were the annoying micro interactions that made him roll his eyes. A soft tap on his shoulder broke him from his reverie and he could see her smiling and pointing at his cooling dinner.

“Adrian are you alright?” She asked him, smiling slightly—she had taken to covering the bandages on her eye with some hair so it was less noticeable, notably after he asked her about her impending blindness a few days earlier. On any other road vagrant, it might look intimidating and effortless but on her it looked like it needed to be brushed out of her face. It made his blood boil and wish that he had made the two out front suffer more, torn out their eyes before birds got to them first.

“I’m sick of fish.” He grumbled, poking at his meal with a fork. “I’m thinking I should go get a deer tomorrow.”

She chuckled softly, moving a couple pieces of beet from her plate onto his—he always ate those first. “1 Timothy 6:8 says: But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 

Alucard scoffed— “You’re wearing one of my bathrobes and have been for days. You’re hardly dressed.” He gestured at her—the robe was so long that while it fell at knee length on him, it barely trailed on the floor when she walked. When they went into the forest, she had to hike it up in a half curtsey to keep it clean. Her shoes were fine—they were so fancy that a nice dip in the stream cleaned them up nicely.

“I seem to recall you tossing all of my clothes into the fireplace when I got here.” When Alucard left her to bathe on the night she arrived, she had expected to roll up her sleeves and scrub out her coat and dress but he kindly informed her that he’d thrown both into a fire—a big one. 

“Yes, and there was so much of you on them that it smelled like a roast. Your point?” 

“Exactly, I’m just glad to have anything to wear at all. Thank you for not eating me, Adrian the very scary vampire.” He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“As if I’d eat you. I’d get a stomachache.” He passed her a carrot from the corner of his plate. She smiled prettily and nodded at him, skewering the carrot and eating it with a pleased munch. 

Lucia thought Adrian was a marvel. As much as it surprised her, the two fell into an easy rapport. Adrian reminded her of the crotchety old men in her town that would gather at the tavern to bemoan everything under the sun. The weather is too hot, it’s too cold. The butcher gave him a cut too fatty or too lean. It reminded her of simpler times. But he wasn’t a townsperson. He was an immortal monster who could probably tear her head from her neck without effort. But she had spent many hours pondering how _human_ he looked. How _human_ he acted. How _human_ he was.

He was rough around the edges. He spent most of his time brooding—staring out of a window. But he was kind and gentle. He killed fish from the stream with an easy blow when men back home would bash them against the ground. Adrian had a beautiful face—one the Bible said was made to ensnare the hearts of humans but instead, she was more interested in how he wrinkled his nose slightly when he was gutting fish or the slight way his tongue peeked out the corner of his mouth when he pulled root vegetables from the garden.

There was one morning when he nicked his tongue on the corner of one of his elongated teeth and she watched as he cursed up a storm—laughing for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He gave her a cold look and she stopped immediately but the slightly wrinkling of his nose belied his amusement.

Every night like clockwork, she heard him come to her door as she prayed. At first, she knew it was because he was locking her door and who was she to complain when he had probably gone through so much. But eventually he lingered, sitting against and sometimes leaning against it. Lucia could see the faint silhouette of his shoes from underneath her door. It was uncomfortable—like letting a stranger in your deepest thoughts but she closed her eyes and included more for him, this kind person who had taken her in against all odds. It was hard to pray for herself anymore—it felt like it fell on deaf ears, but maybe she was just being selfish. It felt more and more like an obligation. But, for the soul of the person standing outside her door and the thousands of people still suffering in the world, she prayed for them. 

“Tell me, do vampires believe in God? I get the distinct feeling that you’re uncomfortable when I talk about the Bible yet you’ve not asked me to stop.” 

Alucard thought for a moment. He knew for a fact God was real because Hell was real. But, how could he in good faith reconcile the God-mandated burning of his mother at the stake or the thousands of people that died in crusades in His name. “I do believe that God is real but not in the way _you_ people think. I despise the way that it drives humans to do awful things supposedly in his name. It is all a sham. Why—”

“—Why can’t we all just be good people without His influence?” She finished for him. “Can I tell you something that I have been thinking of late?” 

“I feel like you’re going to tell me regardless of what I say.” Lucia sucked in a deep breath, it was alright to tell Adrian-- who was he to judge her? Only God could judge her and she wasn't sure his influence extended to the castle of a purported monster because it didn't seem to even extend to Bârla anymore.

“I don’t know if God is real anymore.” She continued as if she had not just committed the ultimate heresy. “How can I? When we are born into this world of suffering and live out our lives in service to a higher power that does not help us?”

Alucard was surprised, this was the last thing that he expected this pious girl to tell him. He could tell from his white grip on her cutlery that her admission aloud hurt her. 

“But I believe in the goodness of humanity. I want to believe that people will want to do the right thing.

He could tell by the slight tremble in her shoulders that she was barely putting on a brave face for him but he felt a burst of anger, standing up and leaning across the table to get in her face—terrified, he noted at the back of his mind. He hated people who clung to ignorance. 

“See their morals, their code, it’s a bad joke,” He jabbed a finger at her chest. “Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. I’ll show you. When the chips are down, these civilized people, they’ll eat each other.”

“Don’t say that, please don’t say that, Adrian.” She put at hand at his face and the warmth of her palm against his cheek felt like fire. “Please don’t say that, that’s not who you are.” 

For one of the first times, he touched her but not in the gentle way that she usually rested her hands on him. He gripped her chin with bruising strength and for the first time since she came to stay in this castle on the corner of mankind’s periphery, she was truly scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always-- please comment and talk with me in the comments, I love conversing with folks and reading what you guys think! :) I can't wait to see what you guys think of this latest chapter.
> 
> An extra big thank you to commenter Charlie_Chandler who gave me some really insightful things to consider as I continued to write!  
> General Lore:  
> -Lucia is 18 and surprisingly(!) Alucard is canonically only 19 in the show, so let's say that he's 20 now that some time has passed.  
> -Alucard hasn't taken her to go retrieve her item yet and she's too polite to ask him to take her to it. Partially, he's wanting her to stay around longer even if he won't admit it.  
> -Saint Lucia is the patron Saint of the blind and Lucia is probably going blind due to her head injury-- even if Sumi hadn't cut her eye out she might've gone blind from the trauma anyway. Lucia was fully enucleated (I don't recommend googling that), which means that Sumi cut out her eye and she left it like that because she didn't know what to do about it. So, it slowly got infected as she made her way to the castle. Alucard helped her treat it by filling the socket with herbs and helping her wrap it up. Lucia is not a vain girl but the fact that she's not as pretty as she used to be definitely bothers her but she's just more happy to be alive.  
> -Dog roses and Edelweiss are the national flowers of Romania (modern day Wallachia)  
> -Fish is usually killed by bashing it's head in but noticeably Alucard doesn't do that, he kills them very humanely.  
> -That quote about people eating each other that Alucard dishes at her at the end is one of Joker's lines :)  
> -In the illustration above, Lucia has a gold circle behind her head, this is how a lot of saints were illustrated in art back in the day. (for examplehttps://s21758.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/saintlucy.jpg)


	5. Tears for you, Tears for me (A)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucia and Alucard air their darknesses and come together as friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone and their friends and family are keeping safe in this sort of scary time! <3 This one was a hard chapter to write because it's hard to not have way too much dialog to the point where it gets boring but I think I'm satisfied with where it is at! This takes place basically right after where the last chapter leaves off. :)

Lucia retreated to her room after dinner, shaken and fearful. She was afraid of Adrian when she first came to the castle but at that point everything scared her. Adrian—no, _Alucard_ \-- terrified her just now. His gold eyes were fierce and dangerous—almost lupine. She shuddered and brought a hand to the bruise she could feel growing on her chin. It’d hurt. 

“Adrian…” The slight increased pressure that sent her pulse running before the hand loosened. His eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he pulled his hand away as if she were still covered in holy water. He slapped her hands away from him and disappeared out the back door. His coat was still draped over the back of his chair—wouldn’t he be cold out there? She raced out after him but he was already gone.

Night had fallen outside—the only source of light tonight were the white flames at the castle windows. She had not really had chance to explore with the exception of her room but Lucia knew that Adrian would not be comfortable with her walking around his home and she wanted to respect him. To assuage her worries, she set up camp in the main hall after locking the door into the kitchen. 

But she was worried, he had left with a huff and all signs pointed to him having not returned yet—granted, she only knew of the two entrances into the home but there were monsters outside. 

If he came back this direction, she would see him, to at least know that he was back and safe indoors before the night creatures went running amok in the night. The astronomical clock—as Adrian had described it absent mindedly one day—ticked in the background with maddening regularity. In the village, the governor was in charge of keeping track of the day of the Lord but here, Adrian taught her how to read the large contraption built into the wall, pointing out the hand that indicated the date and the ones indicating the time of day. Right now, it told her that the date was the first day of July, in a few weeks, The Transfiguration and Dormition would be happening—celebrating Yeshua’s conversion to divinity and the passing of the Virgin Mary. Normally, these holidays were great feasts within her village with sermons lasting all day and worship early in the day late into the nights. She briefly wondered if she would be home soon enough to take part.

Sumi and Taka had arrived in Bârla stowaways on carts brought in for Easter—it felt like a lifetime ago but was only a few months. So much had changed in that time. 

A great crash from upstairs drew her attention—and despite a momentary pause given to wondering, the sound of breaking glass brought Lucia to her feet and racing up the grand staircase towards the sound. She had left her shoes in her room, and greatly regretted it, as she rounded the ajar doors, her foot caught on a piece of glass and sent her tumbling to the floor with a loud crash.

“What do you want?” A gravelly voice spoke to her from the floor, when Lucia raised her head, she saw that Adrian sat on the floor, back against one of the windows with a wine bottle in hand—turning back she recognized the step that had pierced her foot as a remnant of a broken wine glass that he’d probably thrown at the wall. 

“Adrian, are you alright? I heard the sound of glass, are you hurt?”

“No, idiot. I’m here trying to see if vampires can get drunk after all.” He tilted the bottle at his eye, peering into it to see how much liquid was left and shaking his head when he realized there wasn’t. “Belmont seems to think getting piss drunk is a panacea—I thought I might try it.” His head lulled back. “But it seems I cannot.” The snarky tone of his voice was vicious, with none of the usual teasing levity that it usually held.

Lucia crawled forward a little more until her knees were lined up with his splayed legs. “Adrian, what’s gotten into you?” He threw the bottle to the side, Lucia flinched as she heard it shatter against the wall. 

“You, you’re the problem. You waltz in here and are just so fucking happy. What is there to be happy about?”

“Adrian, I can leave if that makes you feel better but I don’t think you want me to leave.” His sharp gaze met hers.

“Don’t talk to me as if you know me, you filthy human.” 

“Then why haven’t you taken me to spot you disposed of all of Sumi and Taka’s belongings? If I were more like you, I might think you didn’t know where they were anyway but I think you know where it is, and you are delaying leading me to it for a good reason.” Adrian flinched and was quiet for a moment before bringing his fingers to his face to pinch the spot between his brows. 

“Don’t you ever get tired of seeing the good in people? Haven’t you ever just wanted to close that virtuous mouth of yours’ and do something because you’re fucking angry? Wait, don’t answer that because you’re a pious little girl who has never known anything about the what the world is really like. Have you ever even done anything wrong? Made any hard decisions?” Lucia was silent and she looked down at her hands a moment before crawling forward, nudging away the hand he brought to shoo her away. There was no real strength behind his struggles. If he wanted to really keep her away, he could have—if the demonic strength he demonstrated in the kitchen was even an inkling of his true capabilities. She moved slowly and perched down in the spot between his spread legs right up against his torso, bringing her arms around his shoulders in what she hoped was a comforting embrace. Part of it was him for some of it was also for herself and the feeling of the dam stifling the doubts in her heart for months breaking to pieces.

“Of course, I have Adrian. I got my family killed. I think about what I’ve done wrong every day.” When he didn’t respond, she kept going. “I was the one that saw Sumi and Taka indulging in one another in a sinful way. I should have told my father then and there but Taka asked me not to. He asked me to lie on his behalf and told me that Sumi was with child and they could not afford to be thrown out.” And then the dam was gone, and Lucia told him what she could barely tell herself.

Lucia had not meant to see anything that night. The two foreigners had been given separate quarters near the west wing of the home. Lucia, who’s room was the closest was often tasked with walking over and inviting the two down for dinner. That particular day, she heard sounds that she had never heard before emerging and saw the two locked in a passionate embrace—one that she knew was forbidden between two of their relationship. Sumi and Taka pleaded and eventually, she agreed to keep their secret. Lying was a sin and her father had asked her to report back to him about their going ons but she had still chosen to remain silent and had adopted them as a member of their family. Answered their every question, including those about the Rosary of Elisabetha. 

They had been so interested in the blood—Lucia thought it would help them let God into their hearts and had held nothing back, telling them anything they wanted to know. When Sumi threw a familiar blue and gold eye down at the governor’s feet, demanding the location. Lucia felt her soul crumble to pieces. _This was all her fault. It was all her fucking fault._ And the worse part was that no one in that house even knew it—she deserved to die and yet despite life being sacred, she had never felt more broken than when she awoke in pain but alive.

The blood in the Rosary of Elisabetha supposedly belonged to Yeshua himself—showing himself as tall man with the presence of God himself. It was said that he came to Elisabetha’s bedside one evening at the behest of the village priest as she lay dying of sickness and offered her a choice, go to Heaven immediately or take the Rosary and directly ascend when she felt that she accomplished her purpose on the plane of man. She did not take it at the end of her life, instead leaving it to her descendants. Local folklore said that Yeshua came to Bârla once more the night after Elisabetha died, a specter at the edge of the township that stood vigil all night as the small family of orphans she had devoted her life to prepared her body for burial with last rites. Elisabetha’s children put the rosary in a reliquary with some of their departed mother’s hair and hid it within the house.

She was so well loved that the local priests had showered the procession route in holy water in preparation for the next day. When the visiting Bishop heard the rumors and awoke the next morning to see for himself, Yeshua had disappeared but the handprint on the tree at the edge of the tree line spoke of his presence—marking a holy site for posterity.

“So, those two took it because they believed that it would make them holy.” Adrian asked quietly, his long arms tentatively coming to rest around her small quivering frame. “So, they lied to you too.” He tucked his face into the crook of her neck, relishing the warmth of her skin to where even the pulsing of the life under her skin couldn’t distract him from how good it felt. “You are so innocent, how could you have known? You would give your last drop of water away in a desert to a stranger if they asked it of you. That is no way to live.” He pulled her a little more tightly and his legs closed a bit to enclose her a little more tightly so she could not leave him. “Where are the people like you? If you think them so abundant?”

“Adrian, what happened to you?” She asked the question that had been on her mind for months. 

And Adrian told her everything. The laughter in his childhood home. The deaths of everyone he'd ever known. The departure of those he thought would care. The careful joy of finding people who needed him again, the panicked fear of being bound in his own bed as they tried to kill him. His body shook and it felt like the burns along his entire body were alight once more, sending liquid silver into his soul. He felt wetness at his shoulder. Lucia sniffled and let her say whatever he wanted to tell her, trying to muffle the sound of her crying in the fine cloth of his white shirt. Her hands clawed and gripped at his back to pull him closer.

“Adrian there is no way you could have known.” She pulled her head back to make sure that she could make eye contact with him. Lucia felt the slight warmth of tears pooling in her empty eye socked and running down her cheeks on her other side. “They took advantage of you.” 

“When are you going to see that that’s how everyone is.” He responded; Lucia’s heart broke at the way tears ran down the corners of his golden eyes. The soul behind them was possibly the brightest she had ever seen.

“Not me. Maybe everyone else is like that but I will never betray you.” Alucard was taken aback a moment when he took a good look at her. The little lamb looked every part a warrior goddess. Her eye was burning brightly and fiercely. The set of her mouth was hard and her jaw was clenched. Suddenly, her eye softened and her brows furrowed in sad reticent smile. “Adrian, Alucard, whatever people know you as, I do not care. You are my friend. I don’t care about the relic; it can stay buried for all I care. It was always an excuse to die rather than live with the sorry state of my life.” His hand came to cup the back of her head with soft intensity.

“But your God…” Her devotion to her deity would tear her away from him, as God had taken everything else that had ever mattered to him.

“What about my God? I daresay our friendship is none of His business.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd you think? Lucia and Alucard have come through the awkwardness as friends and we're moving into the new arc of the story. :)
> 
> As always, comments and feedback are greatly appreciated! I love getting your guys' takes on what you like/don't like. Personally, I'm struggling with whether to have this story take a dark turn or have it stay light hearted. What do you think?
> 
> Lore:
> 
> -The two holidays she mentions are part of the Eastern Orthodox Liturgical Calendar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_liturgical_calendar they're part of the 12 Paschal Feasts, one for when Jesus was made holy and one when the Virgin Mary (Jesus' mother) dies  
> -Easter is one of the most important Christian holidays  
> -A reliquary is basically a sealed container used for religious purposes. They generally had body parts in them too but I didn't want Elisabetha's descendants cutting her up so I just had it include her hair. Some Saints had fingers, or even their entire head removed to put into reliquaries. Ahh!!


	6. Man Outside, Man Inside (F)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alucard, embarrassed about their exchange, chooses to on-board her to her new life in an nontraditional way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cute light hearted chapter after the heaviness of the last one. They're just getting used to their new dynamic and Alucard, not being one in tune with his emotions, deals with it in a slightly weird way. :)

Sunlight streamed through the drawn curtains in tendrils that wrapped up the furniture and splayed across the bed in a sheet of golden warmth. 

Bright fingers crawled beneath the arm that lay over Lucia’s sleeping face. She grumbled slightly in her sleep and turned to avoid it before acquiescing and rolling onto her back to face the canopy above her. Slowly, she opened her destroyed eye, staring down the darkness that had once terrified her to tears. Then, languidly peeling open her other eyelid, taking in the soft glow of the morning. Lucia’s vision was a blur of fluttering light and pulsing wings beating in waves across her sight as she blinked away the sleepiness. She blinked a few times more, bringing a hand up to gently rub the sleep from the corners of her vision. Then, with a start, she sat up.

_How did I get back in bed? How embarrassing!_

The last thing she remembered was tucking herself into—Oh Dear Lord. _Tucking herself onto his lap practically_ and crying her eyes out with him, tears for him and tears for herself. Lucia fell back and gave a frustrated cry into her pillow. She must’ve fallen asleep on him and he’d brought her back to her room. The Paschasius family was loving but sheltered, she couldn’t even really recall ever having seen a sleeping man before, let alone practically spending the night with one. 

Shyly, she peeled back the edge of the covers and peered beneath—he’d even taken off her shoes and socks, a tightly wound bandage crisscrossed her injured foot and was tied in a neat bow at the ankle. To her relief, she was still wearing the dressing gown though the book—a worn Bible— she usually carried with her was missing—swiveling around, she saw it laying innocently on her bedside table. Another book sat beneath it-- a tome entitled _Vampires_. It made sense, given that she'd been making assumptions on what vampires were like that Adrian would want her to stop being ignorant about it. Over the side of the bed, her shoes were miraculously missing. When she swung a foot over, she noticed that her shoes were by the doorway—it was a little earlier than Adrian tended to stop by to unlock it judging by the position of the sun outside her window. But, to her surprise, when she padded over, it was not only unlocked but open.

Several things stood out to her at once. Her shoes sat neatly before the doorframe adjacent to a small pile of clothing—to her delight, a new pair of socks! This almost distracted her from the very large, very white, very real wolf sleeping in the door way. With a start, she fell backwards and caught her balance on a dresser, wincing when she heard it sway and grind against the floors. The large wolf raised its gargantuan head at her stumble and lightly _woofed_ at her. Its golden eyes were lazy and bleary—as if she had just woken it. It lay its maw back atop its paws and lazily flicked its ears as if it wasn’t capable of eating her on the spot. A spot of paper was stuck under its massive front paws and carefully, Lucia reached a tentative hand to pull it towards her—watching carefully for any sudden movements.

_Out.  
Take clothes + explore. Made food.  
Back later. _

Lucia observed the loopy, elegant writing and ascertained that it looked exactly what she thought Adrian would write like. Curious, she stood and poked a head out of the door, seeing a plate of what looked to be deer with some roasted onions outside of her door. The wolf rolled onto its belly, eyeing her with an unreadable look.

“Erm… I suppose you’re Adrian’s pet? Given that he’s a vampire, this may be the least strange thing I’ve seen.” She, against better judgement, put out the back of one of her hands and lowered herself back to floor level, encouraging the wolf to sniff, it eventually did so and padded forward, pushing his head against her shoulder—knocking her chin slightly as he did so. 

“Ow!” She raised a hand to her chin, the bruise from yesterday was likely angry and purple. The wolf sprang back a bit at her sudden movement but she immediately shushed it and spoke soothing quiet words to coax it closer again. “Don’t worry, Wolf, Adrian and I patched up our differences. It was an accident; he didn’t mean to.” The wolf sniffed her chin and to her surprise, licked it with a slobbery tongue. Unbidden, a laugh bubbled in her throat and she fell onto her behind. “I suppose you have a name—probably something majestic, yes?” 

The wolf tipped its head to the right and yipped. 

“Yes, yes, I suppose, but that’s no fun. How’s about I call you Fluffy until Adrian comes back and tells me otherwise?” If wolves could cringe, she was pretty sure the expression would look just like the one Fluffy gave her.

She wolfed—no pun intended—down her food and threw a couple of pieces to Fluffy, hoping that the meat would put her in his good graces. Lucia got dressed afterwards, pulling on the fur shawl and wool dress that Adrian left for her, finding them a smudge too long but otherwise comfy. It felt weird disrobing in front of Fluffy, he was too intelligent—he even turned away and walked into the hall when she was naked. 

“Alright Fluffy, you probably live here and I’ve only ever been in the library from last night, the kitchen, washroom, and my quarters. Where should we go?” 

Lucia was admittedly curious about the castle. Out of respect for her prickly host, she kept around her room and didn’t ask too many questions. Though, the bits and pieces she’d seen walking from the few places she had been were marvelous. The lamps in the castle weren’t made from normal fire but instead burnt bright and white unlike anything she’d ever seen before. The floors were a cold stone cut so smooth that she could see herself reflected in them. The windows were all blacked out—she guessed because of Adrian’s _condition_ though she admitted to herself that she knew very little about it. The vampires she grew up were demons in sermons that ate virgins and murdered priests. 

Adrian didn’t seem like the killing type—except when he had to, she thought bitterly, reminded of the way his broken shoulders shook against her the previous night. She felt so strongly for his strife but a part of her knew that he didn’t need pity—he needed a friend. At the same time, despite her own personal problems she did not have the life experience needed to truly understand what he was going through. All she could do was offer her empathy and support in hopes that it would do even an iota of good. It felt impossible that such a monolith could wither under the pressures of life the same way any average person would. Lucia didn’t know what possessed her to take his face in her hands and resolve to chase away his shades but his expression gave her all the motivation she would ever need.

The thought of leaving the castle pushed far from her mind, she spent the day walking through the castle with Fluffy. He would steer her around, tugging her dress gently away from rooms that she recommended peeking at and pushing her towards doors that she passed by sometimes. Eventually, after settling in a nice armchair in a sunlit corner of the library with a good book, she and Fluffy passed the rest of their afternoon. His large form draped over her feet, keeping them warm as she set her boots aside. As the sun started to dip, Fluffy dropped her off at the kitchens as the sun started going down and barked at her. She patted his head and turned to start on dinner but when she turned around at one point to offer him a piece of salted meat, the wolf was gone, probably out catching his own dinner.

Outside, Alucard leaned against the back door leading to the kitchen.

“What have I been reduced to,” tucking some hair behind his ear and feeling the ghost of Lucia’s hand patting his head mere moments earlier. He waited a moment longer before walking into the door, trying to act nonchalant but feeling a small catch in his throat as she smiled widely and bounded over to throw her arms around him, much like she had to his other form earlier.

"You're home! Welcome back!" Adrian's brows jumped up into his hairline for a moment before he placed a hand at her back and drew his new friend a little closer.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love hearing your comments and thoughts! <3 Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Lore:  
> -In the Castlevania series, vampires/dhampirs acquire certain powers based on the conditions and day that they were turned. Alucard was born on a full moon and received the power to turn into a wolf.  
> -The clothes belong to Lisa ;)  
> -The book was left there because Alucard doesn't think she knows really anything about vampires. While he hasn't corrected her about vampires and Dhampirs, it's high time she learns and stops trying to avoid letting him eat garlic and other funny stuff :)  
> -Alucard is trying to be all cool and suave but in reality he's a sensitive boy that's genuinely happy that there's someone around who wants to be around him <3  
> -I like to think that he agonized all night about how to handle conversing the next day but couldn't think of anything good so he just opted for the only nonembarrassing way he could think of to spend time with her  
> -Their dynamic is currently not romantic, just genuinely close and intimate on a friend level. That comes later


	7. Sunlit Morning, Sunlit Lady (F)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alucard enjoys a quiet morning with Lucia, and is found out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cute light hearted chapter after the heaviness of the last one. They're just getting used to their new dynamic and Alucard, not being one in tune with his emotions, is exposed. Alucard also really sees Lucia for the first time-- since he has been spending a lot of time trying not to like her being around. :) Super fluffy, super cute. I'd recommend listening to this song while you read since it was cute and fit the mood (up until the last part) I was feeling when I was writing. https://youtu.be/b-elgADLjmU

Alucard usually slept little—he had moved his bedroom to another in the vast castle but even then, spent most of his nights sitting in a comfy armchair with a nice book in hand. 

This morning, the warmth stood out more than all else. He was warm from his face down to his feet. The snug feather mattress beneath his dipped with his weight as he slept close to the edge and the feeling of Lucia’s small feet tucked delicately under his torso was _comforting_ to saw the least. His paws were draped over one another with his head placed atop his dainty from legs. He felt the slight weight of a blanket atop him. He told himself it wasn’t that he didn’t know how to approach having a real friend it was just easier to talk to her when she was doing all the talking, dispensing that sunny disposition that chased away the doom and gloom.

He remembered trotting after her after he “excused” himself for the night after dinner. It felt nice. They talked about their favorite foods and resolved to stop eating fish for a while when Alucard admitted he’d eaten basically nothing else for over three months. He admitted that the deer he’d caught for her had been nice and they had plenty for a few days. They ate peaceful, she asked him some questions about vampires from her book and finally realized that half vampires were not called Vampires. They bantered a bit about whether it was safe for him to eat garlic and she impressed him with a detailed anecdote she’d read about regarding a vampire that had melted after eating garlic.

He made a note to swap out her book for one more reputable.

After he’d slipped off, he heard her go to the back door and call out for “Fluffy”, seemingly worried that the large wolf that she’d only just met had not yet returned. When she’d asked him during dinner, he’d given her an excuse about the mutt—he tried to come up with a more dignified name but found his mind empty— coming and going but she’d furrowed her dark brows and asked him to consider letting the dog stay inside.

“It’s dangerous out there! Adrian, what if he fell victim to passing night creatures?” 

He appreciated her concern but honestly, the night creatures would be the ones in peril if they ever stumbled upon him. He chuckled and told her that he’d look into having the wolf stay the next time he came around. She’d scarcely rounded the corner to her room with the book he’d left her in hand before he’d slipped back into the lupine form. Feeling his bones shift into a quadrupedal form had always been a strange sensation but this time, he only gave himself a moment to shake his fur out before bounding after her like a lost pup.

She’d welcomed him with a loud greeting, dropping the book, and ran out, taking his head into a hug. “Fluffy! I was so worried about you. We should go find Adrian to let him know you’ve returned!” Lucia pressed her hands to his face and squeezed his cheeks. In his panic at how to appear in two places at once he’d tugged her into her room and shut the door behind him. She understood that as him telling her that it should be a surprise for the dhampir the next morning and she smiled and gleamed at the idea, taking one of his paws in her own in a mock shake.

Lucia read a bit more, intent on finishing the vampire book. It was superimposed by her taking the time to pray afterwards and while Alucard had heard it all before, it felt awkward. She thanked God for him incessantly and spent most of the time talking about how she wanted to show him how good people could be. At the end, she said a little bit about her eyesight, which stung him. As she readied for bed and undressed, he laid atop the foot of her bed and curled up. 

It was how he fell asleep, to the soft fluttering feelings of her delicate hands scratching his ears.

When he was in this form, wolf instincts often ran amok against his better judgement—how he justified how hard his tail was wagging as he got out of bed and couldn’t control himself as he licked her hand. In shame, he shifted back and took a good look at Lucia. She was curled up under the covers though she had sacrificed covering her upper body to make extra blanket space for her bedmate. He pulled the duvet up and quietly made to leave the room but heard her shuffle and turn—he froze.

“Ad—Adrian? Is that you?” She groaned, and he could have made a run but something kept his feet rooted to her bedside.

“Ye-Yes. I was here to wake you up because it’s a nice day.” She smiled and looked towards the window where the sunlight was streaming in despite the earliness. 

For a moment, Lucia sat up, her curtain of raven hair cascaded over her dainty shoulders in a rumbled effortless wave. She’d put his dressing gown back on to sleep and something about how it dwarfed her was elegant and comforting. Even bundled all the way, the top was oversized and with her tossing and turning, it slid down and exposed the side of her small neck and collarbone. He briefly wished his vision was worse because he could see how the light through the curtains alit her blue eye like a river of sunlight. He could clearly see the way small strands of hair fell into her face—dyed gold—the small creases at her mouth to show much she smiled, and the small dimple he’d never really paid much attention to sitting at the corner of her lips. From the angle he stood, he could pretend that she still had both eyes and was looking between the crack in the window at the skies and field beyond. 

Vampires operated in a world of beautiful monsters—of strength and ferocity and selfishness.

She came from a tender world—of love, of peace, of selflessness. 

When she looked over at him with such warmth, he could see the hope of humanity that his mother sought to help Dracula discover, that she sought to protect. The delicate flowers poking through the craggy barrenness of the world, pushing through the stone against all odds. His mother would’ve found a kindred spirit in this helpless little human that had wormed her way through his defenses. He had been prepared for everything she’d said two nights ago to be a farce meant to help herself. But as he saw the way that she insisted to his wolf form that they should not pry into his business or the way she talked about cheering him up, it became obvious that she was not duplicitous like most. What you saw with Lucia was what you got. That earned her respect seldom given.

“Ah! Adrian! Forgive me, I was caught up looking outside. Yes, you’re right! Just give me a moment and we can go off.” Lucia wiped her eyes and put her feet over the side of the bed. She stretched like a lazy cat and ran a hand through her hair to smooth it out. 

“Perhaps you would like to accompany me to the Belmont Library? We could pick out some books for you?” 

“If you’d like. You mentioned that that place was full of books about how to kill occult monsters. Right?” He nodded; he’d answered all of her questions about the wolf tour she’d received the day before over dinner.

“Then no. I don’t want to see it.” It surprised him, she was usually so knowledge hungry, so willing to learn. “I don’t want to see a monument to killing your kind, Adrian. It feels wrong.” It warmed his heart a little. 

“Alright, how about a walk to a nearby hillside instead? I saw some nice herbs growing and they may be ready for harvesting now.” She smiled and nodded, getting up and walking over to the wash room. Lucia entered and then poked her head out with a mischievous look on her face that did something weird to the pits of his stomach.

“By the way, Adrian, who’s the one who brews beer in bar toilets and gets his beard scratched at dockside brothels??”

“That sounds like Belmont, how do you know about that?” His senses were all on high alert and he racked his brain for any mention she may know of the monster hunter.

Lucia laughed aloud and called out to the stunned man in her room— “Did you know you talk in your sleep? Seeing a wolf prattle on about sheet carcasses gave me quite a fright!” She threw him a wink. “Also, you forgot to take off the bow I stuck to your tail last night. I think it looks quite fetching!” With that, her head disappeared over the threshold. Alucard felt around his hair until he felt a small blue ribbon—he recognized it as the one she usually used to keep her Bible closed.

“Oh my God. It’s not what you think.” He was mortified.

Her muffled voice came through the closed door, a little unsteady as if she were laughing. “Now, now, don't take the Lord's name in vain. But, I daresay I can’t recall ever licking someone’s face. It was nice though; you have great breath even when you’re a big wolf, Fluffy!” 

Alucard breathed onto his palm, fanning the air back towards him to make sure. Against his usual inclinations, he joined her in laughter.

“Clever girl.” He pocketed the ribbon into the inner compartment in his coat and felt warmer still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHA Adrian, you're not that clever!
> 
> As always, I love hearing your comments and thoughts! They're really my driving force for wanting to update more and get more content to you folks! Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Lore (I'm going to start adding some that's not necessarily specific to this chapter)!
> 
> -Lucia was considered extremely pretty in her town and would've married well regardless of her status. Part of Alucard taking such a close look at her is him acknowledging that had life gone a little differently, they would not have met. And, he's teasing apart whether he would still wanted to meet her if it meant not having to have gone through what they'd gone through.  
> -Lucia has absolutely no interest in death-- she's very against fighting. Based on what Alucard has told her about the books down there, she's already decided that it's just somewhere where hate festers and wants no part in it. She wants to help people, not learn how to make them suffer. The sentiment she has somewhat mirrors Alucard's impression of the hold, where he talks about how it is a monument to killing his people in the show.  
> -At this point, she's been at the castle for about a month. I'm going to guess that Sumi and Taka were there for a similar amount of time before her.  
> -Lucia is slowly going blind in her remaining eye but doesn't want to say anything to Alucard because she doesn't want him worrying. She stares at the sun for a while in the morning because internally, she knows that she'll likely never see it again very soon.  
> -Lucia has some inkling that the Wolf is a part of Alucard even before seeing him, the wolf and him have the same eyes.  
> -Castlevania is huge and has stores of animals in stasis and blood canisters in storage in the lower levels. Alucard and Lucia spent most of their time on the same couple of floors and the kitchen out back.


	8. Pretty Then, Pretty Now (F)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucia feels insecure and Alucard reassures her that her dreams are not dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final part in the light hearted couple of chapters we've got going so please enjoy! :) Thank you so much for reading! This chapter goes out to Levisjbot who has been so supportive and awesome, thanks so much! As always-- please comment and tell me what you want to see next!

“How do you keep your hair so nice?” She asked from behind him, hand holding a small stack of reading material. Lucia’s shoes clicking on the ground and the long sleeves of the wool shawl he’d found her pushed up over her elbows so she could fold her hands behind her back with a jaunt in her step. These sleeves fell further still when she reached up—often on the tips of her toes—to grab a volume from a higher shelf. Alucard found himself taking in the pale expanse of her arm. Her entire arm was probably shorter than his calf.

He had promised her when they came down to the trove that there were plenty of books about benign subjects and she had agreed reluctantly at first but seemed to warm up to the idea of once she saw a beautiful Bible on a stand—trimmed with gold and jewels. He had left his sword in the trove and needed to retrieve it anyway, might as well spend some time reading to make the most of the trip.

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, her dark hair barely fell to her shoulders and the bottom was cut jaggedly. It had certainly tamed in the time she had spent with him—in fact, she looked scores better than she had when she first showed up.

Alucard shrugged. “I suppose I brush it.” 

“Yes, but with what?” He felt her fingers tug at a lock, sending a shiver up the back of his neck. “It’s so glossy.”

Alucard shut the book he was perusing—an analysis on the prudency of 13th century French mercantilism.

“Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? You adorn yourself in vain.” He smirked, turning to gauge her reaction but immediately was taken aback by the slight scowl on her face.

“Don’t quote Jeremiah at me. I know, believe me.” Lucia blew a lock of hair out of her face with a huff, pouting with her lower lip. “I just, well…” She squirmed a little and chewed around for the right words. “Well, I just don’t look like I used to alright. I just want to y’know, feel _pretty_ again. I know it’s shallow but—” He cut her off.

“Objectively speaking you’re _very_ pretty.” Alucard thought a moment and continued. The pits of his stomach felt strange—especially after the revelation he had this morning as he watched her stare at the sun. She _was_ pretty, undeniably so, even more so with the scars and the rough edges. But it wasn’t like his social skills would allow himself to tell her that with reassurance, so he responded the way he usually did—with snark. “Sort of like the way a stray dog is.” He chucked as she gave his hair a yank. 

“Adrian!” She aimed a kick at his boot before he leapt forward, putting twenty paces between them, hopping atop a bookshelf and barely looking up from his text. She gave a petulant huff and wandered down the next shelf—they were in the botany section of the library. 

Under her arm, she tucked away two books about religious studies—one of them the gilded Bible from the stand, another about vampires, and one about fletching. She reached up for one about dyes made from plants and added it to her small pile. Ignoring the man as she walked past the shelf he sat upon, she put her spoils on a small pile of cushions that Alucard had moved down and plopped down, intent of making the most of the beautiful lightning lamps that cast the large space in a white glow. He took her in once more, feeling guilty that he’d upset her.

Eventually, she felt the cushion dip as the prickly dhampir tired of his perch and came to sit beside her—trying to appease her.

“My mother used to use crushed galangal mixed with olive oil. Come with me to my room after we finish here, I will share some with you.” Lucia perked up—she’d never seen where he slept before. He’d made passing jokes about how vampires slept in coffins and he had several in the basement. The smile that came to her face chased away the slightly dour look she’d taken up. 

“Yes please!” She put a hand back into his hair—ruffling it slightly like she would pet him in his wolf form. Something deep in the pits of her being kept down the urge to groan at how good it felt. “Thank you, Adrian.” Her hand paused and then returned to her lap. “You must think I’m so stupid. Adrian, I'm so scared for the future, even if mine does not seem that important in the grand scheme of God's plan.”

He cocked his head; the worried look had returned to her face. It didn’t suit her. The slight wrinkle between her brows and the slight listlessness that plagued her expression. Her hands were nervously wrinkling her skirt, a habit he’d noticed that she took to often.

“I don’t think you’re stupid.”

“It’s just… well, you’re going to laugh at me.” She peeked up at him and something in his patient look emboldened her to continue. “I had a choice when I was twelve… the priest in my town wanted me to become a nun at the convent. As you can clearly see, I refused. Because…well, because…” 

“Because?” 

She bit her lower lip and a flush rushed to her ruddy cheeks and she bit back the words a moment before letting them out. 

Unbidden, the voice of Father Iscariot came to her mind, the way the older man talked at length of her devotion to God—how it would honor her family to follow her faith in service to the church. It was common—many families sent children to join the church. She had thought on it, consulted her family, who asked her to do as she thought right. Father Iscariot paid extra attention to her, she was _special_ he said, in a way that no other girl was.

Then, the fated morning she walked down the road to tell Father Iscariot that her answer was yes—she saw travelers entering the town.

There was something the way that the father had helped his pregnant wife down from their cart, the way their small children clung to their mother’s skirts while she played with them and the father did business with the local vendor. Then, the way that the father placed his hand protectively on the mother’s back a moment before they started to unload their wares. Lucia stood and watched from afar until they finished their task and climbed back aboard their cart—the wife’s head coming to rest on the husband’s shoulders as he drove the horses.

“I wanted to know what it would be like to have a family—you know, to marry and have children. Saint Elisabetha writes about it often in her journals—her regret that she could not love a man because of her devotion to God.” Lucia closed her book and then shrugged sheepishly and gestured at herself self-deprecatingly. “But it’s a stupid dream now, isn’t it? Who wants to marry a messed-up cyclops? I’d scare any children I came across.” She looked at him, as if waiting for a joking comment to break up the shame she felt in damaging the vessel that God gave her. Instead, he was quiet and said something, seemingly deep in thought. “Adrian? Have you ever had any stupid dreams?”

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I once wanted to have the same color hair as my father—so I tried to dye my own with blackberries.” 

“Aren’t they—”

“Yes. My hair was purple for a week. I think your stupid dreams are a lot better than my own.” He sucked in a breath and did what Lucia would do for him if he were feeling lost—he took his glove off and tucked one of her small hands in his. Feeling her freeze momentarily before relaxing. She looked at their hands a moment and then back at his face. “Any man would be lucky to have you. Any child would be lucky to have you. And yes, you are very pretty.” The sunny, grateful smile that came to her face belonged there. And perish the thought that would ever try to steal it from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 as always, comment below and let me know what you think! They really help motivate me and let me know if I'm going in the right direction or not. <3 Angst coming soon! 
> 
> I also started a mini one-shot series that is in this universe but may have some AU-- basically it's just somewhere to dump cute stories I come up about these two outside of the context of the larger story to contend with. It's called Heliophile (which means Sun Lover). :) Lmk how you like it!
> 
> This chapter introduces that Lucia almost became a nun! It's probably not too surprising, she's super religious and was devout for a very long time. But, even when she was at the peak of her faith, she still did not want to join the church. I think this is largely because she grew up with stories about Saint Elisabetha-- and how she could not marry because of her devotion to Christ. But, many girls dream of 'love' and family and Lucia knew that joining the church would absolve her of this rite in life and found that it was not something she could give up. They say that religion is often based on shame and guilt and Locia definitely feels like she let her family, Father Iscariot, and God down by not going into the church when Father Iscariot asked her to. Now that she's all marked up and 'damaged', she knows that it's basically impossible for her to ever marry so she feels a little lost at what the next step in life could be.
> 
> Lore:  
> -It was actually extremely common for families to give children to the church in this era-- not only did it remove one mouth to feed, it also ensured that the child would be well educated, something that rarely happened otherwise. Influential families generally tried to have connections in the clergy and giving children up was a common way of going about this!  
> -In Medieval times a woman's hair was her greatest asset-- unmarried girls were allowed to have it unbound but once they got married, they'd have to bind or even straight up cover it. Losing it was deemed extremely shameful. Generally, only prostitutes and vagrant women did not have well maintained hair (or as good as they could get it.  
> -Galangal is this ginger looking root that was used to keep hair soft back in the day, olive oil was also commonly used by Medieval women.  
> -That quote Alucard throws at her is from Jeremiah in the Bible. Hey ;) he's well read and knows how to push her buttons, especially because she knows he doesn't give a crap about religion.


	9. Gods Above and Below (F)(A)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alucard, against his better judgement, investigates a cry for help and regrets it. Action packed times ahead as he realizes that there is more in the forest than deer and fish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the shit-hits-the-fan chapter! This was one of the first chapters that I wrote and continually edited! It is also the longest chapter by far at almost 3k words! :) 
> 
> Please please enjoy! I was going to hold off more before posting it but I feel like folks need the material given the quarantines going on. I hope everyone is safe.

Things changed in the weeks following. Lucia was as friendly as ever and Alucard was slowly less skittish around her in their newfound friendship. Her door was never locked again.

He had never really had any other people around growing up and so having a breathing person to see every day brought great fondness to his heart. She’s sometimes leave little traces of herself around that made him smile—a stray book she forgot about on the dining table or a small flower chain she’d braid and leave atop an armchair. 

One day, she’d seen the little dolls he’d fashioned of his friends and when questioned, made one for him as well and proudly stood him up next to the others—he had forks for arms though, there weren’t enough spoons to sacrifice another pair. When Alucard asked her where she got the eyes, she’d gestured sheepishly at her pack, showing where she’d tugged off two golden buttons.

“Eyes are meant to be pretty; I don’t mind.” 

In the coming days going to the fishing hole, he pointed out the small rock pile where he’d buried the rosary and she’d smile and shrug—

“What use do I have of it right now anyway? Let’s come back for it another time.”

They ate their meals together and she had even taken to venturing past the stream into the trees as he did his daily patrols. More than once, she tripped over a root and had to be carried home. Sometimes he could tell that she was exhausted and he’d offer—she started out vehemently denying but eventually caved in once she realized that their four-hour patrol was closer to thirty minutes when she was not trying to navigate the terrain. 

Lucia found just about everything interesting so she asked him to carry her with one arm, balanced vertically on one shoulder among other strange requests—intent on seeing how far his superhuman strength extended, the subject of the week due to the book she was currently reading. If anything, it was better than the reproduction book she’d found in the libraries the week before. The questions were less strange. When she asked one day if he could carry her body weight with a pinky, he’d drawn the line and thrown her over his shoulder like a sack of flour, laughing uncharacteristically as she pounded her soft hands against his back—imploring him to put her down through her squealing laughter.

The first time he hoisted her up, his throat clenched at the familiarity of lifting a female guest onto his shoulders but then she slipped a hand onto the one on her shoulder and the fear dissipated. 

He looked up at the flushed pink of her cheeks and the sunlight she exuded. Alucard didn’t even mind that she jokingly kicked at his shoulders, proclaiming that he should gallop. He took the opportunity to go at his top speed, chuckling as he took in her screeches to slow down.

Lucia was like the sun, an effervescent bright spot in the gloom. Her laughter chasing away the dark. 

“Do you ever feel cooped up here?” He’d asked her one morning, his insecurities riled up in his throat as he wondered what she was like in a town, surrounded by people, surrounded by her own kind not by a depressing prisoner.

“Not at all! I love being around you, Adrian!” She smiled at him; her cheeks still flushed as she hiked over some rocks to get to his vantage point higher up the hill. “How could I? You’ve got so much to do and see here.” She reached a hand up to ask for his help with the last bit and strained a bit and finally reached the apex as he helped pull her. Lucia took a moment to pant in exhaustion before looking up at him toothily and jokingly slapping his hand away—her single eye crinkling into a smile. “Why? Are you sick of me already?” 

Alucard smiled warmly—a look uncharacteristic to his regal features that surprised even himself. He put a hand to the side of her face that she giggled and leaned in to. It was a cold morning and her hands and face were undoubtedly cold. The tip of her nose was lightly red and she periodically blew warm air onto her fingers. “I could never be tired of you.” Lucia smiled at him and the fluffy feeling that settled in his belly wouldn’t let him leave it at that. “After all, I’m planning on eating you after I plump you up.”

She laughed her bell like laughter. “Not until I turn you into a nice winter coat, _Fluffy_.” Lucia took her hand back in her’s and took off up the hill, challenging him to a race that he gladly let her win.

On this particular day, he wished he didn’t bring her. She was picking some small red dog roses while he found a small track in the soil—a fresh footprint. _Someone was close by_ and judging by the scent wafting in the winds, it was a vampire who had just fed. It was daylight so thankfully they had could take shelter in the sunlight if needed on the run back to the castle. He was more than confident in his abilities but he would not take any chances with the precious cargo blissfully finding the prettiest flower to put in a cup of water back home behind him.

“Is something wrong, Adrian?” Her honeyed voice came over his right shoulder as she leaned over to see what he was stooped over looking at. “Are you divining tomorrow’s weather or something?” She grinned and good naturedly bumped his shoulder, her mirthful face freezing in place when he didn’t respond with a jab in turn. “Is everything alright?” 

He stood and grabbed her arm, starting to lead her back towards the castle. “We’re leaving.” She frowned but let herself be led. 

“Adrian, what’s wrong? Did you find something?” She craned her head backwards, trying to catch a glimpse of the spot he was crouching earlier. 

Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out through the clearing— “Please! Is anyone there?” The scream rooted Lucia to her spot. 

“Adrian!” She tried to shake his hand off of her arm but he held firm. “Someone is hurt! We must go help!” Alucard felt weary of the cries, he could smell multiple vampires in the area now, he had been so caught up in Lucia’s antics that he hadn’t even bothered to pay much attention. 

“No. We’re leaving.” At least four vampires were in the area. He didn’t smell any humans nearby.

“Adrian, please? Someone is hurt! How could we just leave them here?” We could at least check and help them to the main road.” Her eye watered and she brought one of her hands to lace her fingers with his. “Please. Please. If I was out there, you’d help.” Maybe the scent of vampires was masking a lone human? 

“But it’s not you.” No. He would not take any risks with her. She was soft and vulnerable. Humans were all a pin drop away from death and he would have her nowhere near a den of killers.

“But if I were them, I would want help.” She tugged back harder than ever and tried to stand her ground. Her gaze was fierce and determined and he could tell that she would not take no for an answer. He grit his teeth a moment and against his better judgement, nodded. He pushed her behind him and slowly walked towards the rocky outcropping that they heard the voice from. They were further from the castle than they usually went and this was an entirely new spot so he wasn’t as familiar with the lay of the land.

Eventually, they came to a small mouthed cave and Alucard’s senses told him that there was a someone bleeding heavily within. Lucia looked fearful, her fair face was pulled into a worried expression and her normal flush had gone pale. 

He tugged her into the sunniest spot outside the cave and instructed her to stay there. She looked as if she would argue but a pointed look silenced her and she nodded. 

“Do not move. Stay here until I get back. Do you still have the holy water on you?”

“Adrian, I’m worried, please be careful.” She held out her water skin—he recognized it as the one she’d shown him the first night she’d come to the castle. “What if something attacks you?” Alucard chuckled and patted her heard.

“Silly girl. It would take more than a few assailants to best me.” He checked the clearing once more to make sure that it was indeed empty and then walked to the cave opening. Immediately, the stench of rot hit him.

“Adrian! I should come with you—I can, I can watch your back!” She called over. He looked at her over his shoulder and saw her standing where he’d left her, the water skin of holy water clutched to her chest and her warm features uncharacteristically worried. Lucia shouldn’t see this. She didn’t need to be tainted by this. 

“No. Stay there. I will return shortly. Do not move.”

Lucia watched as his back turned to her and he walked to the mouth of the cave.

There were strewn drained bodies every which way and he realized with a start based on the armor he saw on the floor that some of the vampires might be defector thralls from Carmilla’s army. 

A sharp scraping sound came at him and he brought up a short sword from the floor to block the claws of a male vampire—he snarled at him, breath smelling foul. Alucard dispatched him quickly with a sword through his throat and dispatched two more in quick succession, unable to find any sign of human life. 

As he neared the center of the caves, he was once again swarmed, this time by three thralls and a slogra. He kicked a fallen spear from the floor and threw it hard enough to pin the slogra to the cave wall. A thrall came from his right and met the butt of his sword before Alucard ignited it in fire—killing him quickly. The other two vampires met a similar end. Taking the beak of the slogra in hand, Alucard shoved the sword into its open mouth and it screeched before it went limp and silent, sliding down the wall with a stomach-turning squelch.

Sniffing the air told him that the area was now clear but the smell of decay was stronger than ever, he looked at the pile of road bandits who had previously occupied the cave in a bloody heap in the antechamber. There was even a set of cards at the small wooden table, they never had a chance.

Suddenly, the sound of his name pierced through his senses—echoing along the walls of the cave. It dropped ice into the pit of his stomach. 

He sprinted out of the cave and at the opening of the cave, saw that a female vampire was the source of the cries. She was grey skinned and built like an ox; her face was smoking and it looked almost as if her nose was burnt off as she rolled around on the floor. Lucia was not where he’d left her, she was in the shade closer to the entrance and visibly hyperventilating. 

“Feeder bitch!” The vampire screeched. 

“Wait! Wait! Alucard! We can hear her out, please!” Alucard ignored her despite the tug in his chest, and dispatched of the vampire with a quick blow to the spine, the crunch under his boot as it split and the body went quiet. He turned his attention back to Lucia. She had collapsed to the ground and was covering her face, weeping quietly.

“Lucia, Lucia, are you alright?” Her eye swiveled to find his and she sighed in relief almost immediately.

“Adrian, Adrian I’m sorry I moved, she—she came and told me that you had freed her and that you were waiting inside for me.” She tugged on his collar and pulled him close to her. “I… She pushed me down and was going—” Lucia swallowed nervously. “She was hungry, oh God. Oh God. Oh God. She was choking me and saying all these horrible things about what they were going to do to you down there… So, I poured the leftover holy water on her.” Alucard sighed a sigh of relief and took her face into his hand to get a closer look at the puncture on the column of her throat. It seemed like it wasn’t deep. “Adrian I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

He made a slight note he’d made multiple times before—her blood smelled delectable. Virgin’s blood tended to attract vampires and it wasn’t surprising that the female vampire had resorted to underhanded tactics.

Alucard pulled her close and rubbed her head soothingly. Lucia was trembling against him. Given her failing sight, she likely wouldn’t have been able to tell that the woman was a vampire from the distance and by the time she was close, she was already in the shade and vulnerable. His heart beat a frantic tattoo as he calmed down not from the adrenaline from the fight but seeing her potentially hurt or worse.

“Adrian is she alright? Oh God, is she alright?” Alucard looked behind him at the corpse and decided not to answer. 

“Does it matter? You’re safe. That’s all I care about?” His voice was slightly muffled by her hair. 

“Oh God. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” Her wailing cries rang out as she pressed herself against the tall man, crying the bitter tears of proclaimed murderess. “Adrian I’m sorry, God, what have I done?”

He pulled his hand away from the back of her head to try to tug her hands away from her face and they came back red.

“Lucia!” She looked up at him and flipped her gaze from his hands to his face and slumped unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 ANGST coming soon. :) 
> 
> As always, comments and talking with y'all is such a great motivator for me, please please drop me a link in the comments or on Twitter:https://twitter.com/BbNoodles1. <3 
> 
> Lore:  
> -Alucard goes to the cave pretty easily because he knows that Lucia won't stand by and let something like this happen. Either he'd have to take her home by force, which she'd resent him for (and possibly leave) or she'd go by herself (and inevitably die.)  
> -Holy Water burns vampires-- it effects Alucard less-so but holy water created by a devout Christian varies in strength. The bit that Lucia has is extremely strong so it basically immobilized the vampire but it's not like our resident pacifist was going to finish her off.  
> -A slogra is a type of night creature that's slightly more intelligent. They show some in the show, they're usually tall with duck bills, long necks, and spears.  
> -Vampires can't smell Dhampirs. So the female vampire was the one that was calling out thinking it was two humans-- that's part of how they've been luring victims in.  
> -A thrall is basically a vampire that was turned from a weak-minded person. They don't have a proper will of their own and since vampires have a mental tie to their creator, they are forced to listen to the whims of said creator.  
> -Vampires take on the will of their creator unless they are strong enough to overcome it. Sometimes, strong vampires can become independent by will or by killing their creator.  
> -Carmilla's army I'm going to say is largely turned by her and Striga so they are forced to listen to her. When Carmilla left the area in a hurry, she left some of the stragglers behind and they've been rallying with night creatures behind everyone's back. These took refuge in a cave and ate the inhabitants.


	10. Mud (A)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alucard contemplates the pain of loss once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long hiatus! Real life has gotten crazy and work has been insane lately but I'm hoping that I can pick up writing more once again! <3 Please sound off in the comments, do people still read this story?
> 
> Ugh-- torturing Alucard is always so hard :( but he's an emotional wreck and is incredibly damaged right now.

_”Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.” – Acts 13:11_

It started raining on the way home. Caught between the worry of jostling her head injury and the strain on her body from going too fast, Alucard settled for the fastest smooth run he could manage, loping over rocks instead of his usual reckless parkour. Lucia’s bloody head cradled against his neck to keep it as still as he could. He’d taken off her shawl and wrapped it around her head tightly. It used to be a creamy white but was now stained red and dark brown from the profuse bleeding—a guilty part of his mind reminded him that it smelled _absolutely_ delectable, like the sweetest, umami filled peach at the height of the season.

At one-point Alucard slipped, his heart nearly stopped but he managed to shield her from the tumble. His knee hurt a bit but it was nothing.

He’d tried to wake her. His mother reminded him that patients with head injuries should never sleep lest they never rouse. But it was useless. He’d patted her cheek to no avail and the coldness settling into her face drove an icicle of fear into the depths of his guts.

The moment the castle came into view, he put on a burst of speed and dashed for the closest bedroom on the ground floor, a small room his mother had at times used for the occasional passing traveler. He laid Lucia down gingerly, unraveling the shawl and hands shaking as he saw how it clung to the tangled, matted and bloody hair. Her face wasn’t peaceful as it usually was when she slept, her brow furrowed slightly and a small frown marred her mouth. 

He divested her of her eyepatch and dirty clothes. Finally, he removed her shoes, gently setting the boots she was now so proud of next to the bed. Her feet were so small, tinier than even his hands width. He could easily wrap a hand around the circumference of her ankle. 

Alucard’s hands shook as he cleaned her up with a damp washcloth—watching as the water in the basic he’d found run red from her hair. From the amount of blood soaked into her clothes as well as his own, he knew it to be a significant amount. Lucia was already so small as it was. Next, gauze from another from another room was used to wrap the head wound. He pulled the medicinal herbs from her empty eye socket and felt bile rise from his belly as he noticed that it was bleeding, probably scratched by a sharp edge of a twig he didn’t separate from the leaves properly. His nerves frayed still, he gently filled the empty socket with gauze and sat back.

He put a fist up to his mouth and screamed into it—half hoping that it would be loud enough to wake her and get her to comfort him. But she didn’t move, her hand limply hanging over the side of the bed probably knocked over as he backed away. He couldn’t be in the room; he turned and ran back out the ajar doors he hadn’t closed in his rush before. Hoping against hope that he’d hear her call out to him before he left.

His guts felt a mess, his brain was muddled and scattered, and the boiling rage in the bits of his soul burst forth, spilling out as he wildly smashed the first vase he came across in the hall.

Looking out from the gates, he saw that the Taka’s stake had tipped over in the mud, the rotting remains sloughing off edges of bleached bones. In a rage, he stomped over to it and turned the head back, snapping it from its vestigial connections to the spin. Hollow eyes plucked by crows looked back at him—mocking him. Disgust flooded his mouth and he dropped the head.

And crushed it underfoot.

The crunching sound of the skull continued as he ground his boot into it. Pulverizing it beyond any recognition that was left. 

The pulled an arm off as easily as he would pull a grape off the vine and hurled it into the distance. Then he kicked the body, watching it skid across the field. 

He picked up a jawbone from the mess of meat and bone—and snarled.

_“This is all your fucking fault.”_ The remaining teeth and jaw were turned to dust in his clenched fist. 

Alucard collapsed, overwhelmed with the stirring feelings of anguish. Head wounds bled profusely but it’d been over an hour without any sign that she would awaken. Judging by the way she’d collapsed he knew she’d likely be concussed as well. 

Who knows if she’d even wake up the same person? 

He sank in the mud, feeling it sink into his shoes and seep through his trousers. His head nearly hit the ground and he clenched his fist in his hair and screamed—crying.

Eventually, when he came to—he was in his wolf form. A defense mechanism by his own mind, likely, to process the pain. Wolves didn’t feel the way humans did—their minds were simpler, driven by instinct. They didn’t think about the way it would feel if the little lady who’d tumbled into his life would be gone forever and he’d be alone in that great castle, growing mad in his isolation. The little bright spot in the morose damnation that his existence had become in such a short time. 

She’d probably die going back to that fucking demon she considered God. She was practically a religious zealot on the verge of heresy too, so she probably knew she’d go to Hell. 

But she was still warm-blooded Lucia who had hands that felt so gentle and small in his own. The way his pulse quickened when she smiled or the blasé way, she disregarded all the worst parts of life in favor of girlish views about chivalry and morality. She’d nicked a finger in the kitchen once, smiling sheepishly and putting it in her mouth. He was more focused on the way her pink lips enclosed her pointer, the way she tried to not let him see her wince from such a small cut. She wasn’t cut out for this. Now, she was laying in a room with her head practically bashed in by a thrall and he’d practically handed her to it. 

He never really felt things in his wolf form—it was usually geared towards a specific goal.

Even then, his paws automatically angled towards the room he’d left her, padding through the hall to curl up at her side, disregarding the mud he’d tracked in and his wet fur. He pressed himself as close to her as he could get and did not sleep for the next three days—watching the shallow rise and fall of her chest and he prayed for the first time in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 love you all! Thanks for everyone that reached out and as always, talk to me in the comments. 
> 
> I'll put some lore in the next chapter since this bit is kind of a two-parter. Some of you know what's coming so get ready!


	11. Sound, Touch, Smell, Taste, Nothing (A)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucia awakens. The sounds, touch, smells, and taste rushes in to meet nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the angst in advance!

_“For we live by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7 _“__

__Three days passed at the rate of a stone tumbling down a rocky mountain-face._ _

__Sometimes the hours passed fast, skidding across the vertical cliffs of his sanity as he knew the longer she slept the more unlikely her survival might be._ _

__Sometimes the hours passed slowly, languidly pinging between faces, as he looked her over, for any sign that she would stir—scanning her over to no avail and starting the process once more._ _

__At this point he was fairly certain her knew her face better than she did—the small mole under her eye that he noticed was actually slightly ovular, or the way her right ear stuck out a bit more than her left, or how the eyelid with her missing eye had longer eyelashes than the other, somehow._ _

__He was still in his wolf form, needing to feel the animalistic dimming of his emotional senses—ironically enough to still feel human. He had been an unexpressive, sardonic person for much of his life but in the last year, the excitement had all but driven his sanity through the ground._ _

__Then, a little piece of the sun came to him a stormy night half dead and he felt like life was more like _the old days_. His mother would like her because they were—unlike most folks—good people, his father would take issue with her religious stupidity but even he would likely come around once they hit the topic of Greek philosophy. They would see how plain as day Alucard regarded her—he was fairly certain that he—. _ _

__A slight groan from Lucia met his ears and sent him into alert. He shifted back and grimaced as he saw the dirt and mud that he’d tracked onto the bed for the first time. Running a hand along the sheets, he realized they were slightly damp and streaked with bits of blood as well._ _

___How selfish and irresponsible—how like him._ _ _

__He quickly rushed into another room to grab a replacement set, spreading the duvet over her as she stirred once more._ _

__“…Adrian…?” Her tone was frail and thin. Lucia’s eye opened and stared up at the ceiling as if it could barely stay open._ _

__“Lucia! Can you hear me?” He took her hands in his own and winced at how cold they were. The slight twitching of her flexing fingertips pressing into his palm as she felt his grasp._ _

___Selfish. Selfish. Selfish. How could you let her be damp because you were too weak to deal with your fuck-all inability to keep levelheaded._ _ _

__She smiled softly and he squeezed her hands a bit tighter. “How are you feeling?”_ _

__She sniffed the air and coughed slightly— “Adrian it smells like wet dog. I feel like I have been vomited out by a large fish.” Alucard gave a relieved breath—trust her to toss out biblical allusions as easily as breath itself. He gently placed a hand at her back and helped her sit up—bringing a small ceramic cup of water to her mouth where she drank greedily. She gave a satisfied sound in the back of her throat—the taste of water quenching her thirst. He moved to let go but quickly felt her start to fall backwards—so he supported her with one hand as he refilled the cup by stretching out to grab the pitcher with the other._ _

__She didn’t look at him, still, but swayed a bit as if she would slip back into sleep at any moment. He couldn’t let that happen, her body was likely starved and depleted. Lucia at least needed to eat a bit first._ _

__“Lucia you may not sleep again quite yet. We need to get some food in you first.” She tilted her head to the side as if confused. She took a deep breath and yawned, feeling blood rush to her extremities and trying to wiggle his fingers and toes to dispel the numbness that had settled in them._ _

__“What happened Adrian? My mind is a bit foggy… the last I remember we were in the forest…” Her brows furrowed again, this time more deeply. “You and I were looking at some dog roses that I’d found and then…”_ _

__She jerked up, knocking into his hand and the cup went flying onto the floor. The handle fell off and the rim chipped but that was the least of his concerns. Her hands flew to her head as she winced from the sudden movement._ _

__“Adrian!” She grabbed onto the arm holding her up.” Adrian what happened to the woman? I… Oh God. Is she alright?”_ _

__Alucard felt the delicate strings of his control barely hanging on for days snap into infinitely small bits._ _

__“Are you fucking kidding me?” He threw her hand off of him and stood up to his full height to glare down at her. “You worry me for three days and the first thing you want to talk about is that fucking thrall that you killed? I was at your bedside this whole time, worry that you were going to die and you’re so worried about a fucking murderer?” He ground his teeth and hissed. He would’ve gone into the forest to grab the corpse and show it exactly what happened when folks messed with his friends but he was sure that it had disintegrated in the light by now._ _

__He grabbed the front of the shift he’d dressed her in earlier. Pulling her face close to his own until they were almost nose to nose. He was practically spitting._ _

__“How dare you almost leave me. How dare you let someone almost take you from me.” He was sure he was a terrifying sight and somewhere in the back of his mind, his more rational self-guilty wondered how fearful she’d be when she looked at him from them on. His fist loosened slightly and his tone wobbled a bit. “You promised you’d be here. I need—”_ _

__Her hand groped around until it came to rest on the one near her throat. He recoiled as if burned and let her drop back to the bed with a gasp as her head inevitably _thunked_ against the soft mattress. Her gaze avoided his own, she stared into space as if he wasn’t there. _ _

__“You can’t even look at me?” His body trembled slightly as his nervous energy hummed with visible tension. She paused slightly, chewing her bottom lip and she grew upset. Her hands clenched and unclenched at her lap and she took a few deep breaths before speaking to him once more._ _

__“Adrian, can you please light the room so we can talk?” He froze—looking at the way the sun’s blaze streamed into the room—the way it framed her profile—alighting the tip of her nose, and brought out the soft lighter tones in her hair. The way the blue of her eyes looked gold and her pale skin colored in the afternoon glow._ _

__“Adrian why are you keeping me in the dark?”_ _

__The way her sightless eye looked at the wall to his left, unable to see the way his heart broke into pieces._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH! I did it! I am so sorry!
> 
> As always, talk to me in the comments <3 I love love love hearing from this little community we have! I was so happy to see so many familiar faces come back with the last chapter, y'all touched my heart! 
> 
> Lore Goodness:  
> -Saint Lucia canonically is the patron Saint of the blind, she had her eyes torn out because she refused to donate her family's wealth to the church.  
> -Adrian doesn't really have much emotional maturity and it's the big focal point of the last two chapters. He doesn't know how to deal with his grief and instead does it in erratic and ways that lash out at others rather than process it.   
> -He's especially upset about her eyes because he's known it's been coming but has hoped that if he protected her that it would never totally reach the state of blindness. She loves books and looking at things-- he's worried that that sense of wonder will die if she can't see anything. Also, in the back of his head, he's known that he needs to return her to humanity to fulfill all the wishes she's talk to him about--like becoming a mother. Medieval times didn't treat the disabled well and he knows that she'll never be able to go back to her old life now.

**Author's Note:**

> Lucia is our protagonist here, she is loosely based off of a historical Saint named Saint Lucia of Syracuse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy)  
> This is what she looks like! :) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ETbU2_EUYAAeZr7?format=jpg&name=4096x4096


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